[Chapter 20: Calm After the Hustle]
Early the next morning, after checking out of the hotel, John said his goodbyes to Jerry Yang and the others. Ignoring their attempts to persuade him to stay, he smoothly left Silicon Valley and headed back to Los Angeles.
"Man, there's nothing like the comfort of home," John said as he lay back on the couch in his modest LA apartment.
"Hey, Boy, looks like you're getting lazier by the day," Zach teased.
"Not at all, Zach. My career is just getting started. I'll be busy later on, but lately, I've been tied up with the Yahoo! funding rounds, and now that's all wrapped up. Don't you think it's the perfect time to kick back and relax a bit?"
"Isn't Yahoo! Jerry and David's project mainly? You just threw in a few suggestions." Zach looked at the young man seriously. "Alright, Boy, after all these days in Silicon Valley, don't you think this place could use some cleaning?"
"Okay, yeah. When's my rich lifestyle coming? Would be nice to have a butler or a housekeeper take care of this stuff!"
Zach couldn't believe that this seemingly unreliable kid was actually a major shareholder in Yahoo! ----
The day passed with them cleaning the apartment, sorting out clothes that were on the verge of mildew, and hitting the supermarket to stock up on essentials.
After dinner, a meal John cooked, both of them collapsed on the couch.
"John, eating your cooking every day, I think I'm gonna end up with a big belly soon."
"Really? Then from tomorrow I'll cook just for myself. You're better off sticking to burgers and soda."
"What? No way. I can't just let you face the threat of getting fat at such a young age. Let me help!"
Lately, Zach seemed to be getting more playful, especially since John occasionally slipped in internet jokes and phrases from the future, which Zach then started using, too.
"Alright, Zach. Time to wash the dishes."
That was their rule: whoever cooks, the other one cleans.
---
"Bang!"
John, lying back, thought he'd seen a tall figure slip past the open door. Maybe it was just his imagination. Then he heard a door slam hard.
"Whoa, Zach, finally, our twelfth floor isn't just the two of us anymore! Hear that? A door slamming -- that means new neighbors."
Until now, only the two of them had lived on the twelfth floor, so they often left their doors open.
"Maybe so, new neighbors moving in isn't unusual. Boy, nothing weird about it."
"Still, shouldn't we say hi? We'll be sharing the same floor from now on."
"Forget it. Judging by that slamming, the new neighbor's probably in a bad mood. We'll try next time."
"Okay, but do you think the new neighbor is a guy or a girl? I vaguely saw, and I think it was a girl."
John thought about it and decided to drop the plan to visit for now, but he started speculating, which left Zach confused.
"Boy, you've got time to wonder about that, but what you should really think about is what you want to do next. You're not going to just sit around here all day and be bored, right?"
John thought Zach had a point. He had been bored stiff after staying at home for over a month last time. With Yahoo!'s growth ahead, he couldn't waste time like that again.
Still, he wasn't sure what to do next.
"John, why don't you go back to school?" Zach suggested, seeing him deep in thought.
"No way, Zach. School is too boring. Besides, do you think I really need to learn there?"
"School is more than just classes, John. Don't you think you have zero friends right now? Maybe you could meet some peers and life would be a lot more interesting."
Zach knew John's knowledge was already beyond college-level, but he still gave it a shot.
"Forget it. Hanging out with those kids would be way more boring."
John had lived four or five decades' worth of experience between his past and current lives. The thought of associating with teenagers sounded ridiculous.
Knowing John's maturity level, Zach figured the boy was beyond most teens, and gave up on the idea of school.
"Zach, what about the investment firm and offshore company we talked about? Maybe you could start looking into it tomorrow. Once we have the funds ready, things will be easier to handle. You could bring me along so I can get familiar too."
"Boy, come on. This is Los Angeles -- the second-largest city in the US and a financial hub. The service industry here is top-notch. You just tell those firms what you want, and they handle it all. No need to prepare anything. You just show up to sign papers."
John paused for a second, "Alright, you make a good point. Looks like we're stuck with boring days. Hey Zach, how about we travel? Since we left the welfare center, we could explore all over America.
We could check out Miami Beach and its beautiful people, stroll through the bustling streets of Manhattan and Wall Street in New York, hit Las Vegas to see the casinos, or visit Yellowstone National Park -- heard it's got earthquakes and volcanoes that could destroy the world."
"Why not just check out Los Angeles? This is the entertainment capital, after all."
"Come on, Zach, we're already here. It's too close and we can go anytime."
Zach shrugged in response, leaving the decision to John.
---
After tidying up, Zach returned to his room while John grabbed some snacks and headed to his small balcony to look out over the city lights of Los Angeles.
He thought about the contrast from Silicon Valley's tech-driven, money-hungry atmosphere back to his quiet life in the LA neighborhood. Actually, it wasn't bad at all.
Just as John drifted into these thoughts and hopes for a better future, he heard the creak of a door opening on the adjacent balcony.
Curious, he shifted his chair to face the neighboring balcony directly.
As he had hoped, a girl with a model-like figure stepped out, wearing a silk nightgown, holding a glass of red wine. She lazily leaned on the railing, gazing out at the sparkling night view of Los Angeles.
She looked young, confirming to John that she was the same person from earlier, the blurred silhouette he had seen. With her profile turned away, her face wasn't visible, but her striking blonde curls stood out. He wondered whether his neighbor was really a beauty.
"Hi, hello, you must be the new neighbor. I'm John Leighton, and I live right next door," he said, remembering himself, greeting her casually.
*****
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